Stitches, Scars, and Memories
by MoonDropCookie
Summary: "He's gone... but why does his presence still haunt me? Why do I still feel like he is alive? These thoughts will never cease to pursue me... The pain will never stop..." SoMa
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello my beloved readers! I welcome to this first chapter of 'Scars, Stitches, and Love' (I have emotional title O_O) Ok, I have not given up on 'Cumbersome Love' but I had this idea and I had to type it before I forgot it. We all have those moments. Enjoy =3 **

"…**I don't want you to give it all up. And leave your own life collecting dust. And I don't want you to feel sorry for me. You never gave us a chance to be. And I don't need you to be by my side. To tell me that everything's alright. I just wanted you to tell me the truth. So why are you running away?..."**

"Ha! Take that you arrogant bastards!" The sandy haired girl twirled with delight at the poor pre-kishins in front of her. It was becoming more like a fun game to the female meister rather than a mission.

"Um… Don't you think we should take this fight a little more seriously?" a young man hesitated before showing a slight image of his face in the blade, worry clearly seen in his icy blue eyes.

The woman grunted in reply and struck another 'kishin to be' in the abdomen, "I suppose you are right Nova… I am setting a bit of a bad example." She twisted around to scan the area around her and released the weapon at the sight of no enemies, "Now, eat up Nova. I want you to become a Death Scythe by the end of this week. I promised Lord Death a fine new weapon, and just to let you know, he really loves close range, so you will be a fine weapon indeed." She grinned at the way his eyes sparkled from her comment. _Cute kid._ She thought.

"Wow! You really are amazing! You have way surpassed your mother, Maka-Chan!" he paused a brief moment to catch his breath, "So, tomorrow we will meet up at the Death City Forest for our next mission, right?"

Maka answered with a slight nod, then waved him off, "Go on home after 'dinner', I'll report this accomplishment to Lord Death." And with that she dashed off, leaving the buki to his 'meal'.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Maka let her eyes wander the all too familiar school building. The symmetry was still perfect, that being Kid's doing. And it still gave off that comforting aura, well, **used** to be comforting aura. At least to her. Everyone still thought of it as the 'ordinary' school where weapons and meisters bonded. But to Maka it was no worse than hell. She shook away the dangerous thoughts and approached the building head on, she would not let meaningless memories get in the way of her duties.

As Maka walked toward Shinigami's room, she felt a presence stalking her. _There's only one person with the balls to follow me! _She turned around and shielded her face, the punch came hard but she ignored the pain and flipped to the side of the stranger. She noticed right off the bat that it was a male, it was easy to figure out considering he moved rough and 'womans' intuition was never wrong. Maka forced her knee in his side, hoping to paralyze him, but her attempt failed miserably seeing that it barely even fazed him. He shifted to her backside and she whirled around, grabbing his fist and swinging him over the shoulder. But he landed expertly and threw the meister on the ground with him. She brought her fist back to his face, that being an effective approach and decided to finish him off with a 'secret move' being her foot in his groin.

It worked perfectly.

"Really Black Star… I told you that you couldn't sneak up on me. You may have figured out how to shut-up but your soul wavelength screams louder than you used to." She passed him a sly grin.

"Maka… you cheated… how dare you kick someone as big as me in the pe-"

Maka smacked him on the head, "Don't say it Star, or I'll make sure Tsubaki won't ever be able to have a 'fun' night with you." The technician let out a sigh, "So, what do you want Black Star?"

Black Star chuckled, "Don't talk down to me little girl, remember, I am bigger than you. And you can't always assume people are here to see **you**. I gotta mission from Lord Death himself, and I'm here for the details."

"Why isn't Tsubaki with you?"

"She went to sleep, it's her bedtime ya know." Black Star obviously didn't enjoy giving out small details.

Maka just rolled her eyes at her friend's lack of interest, "Well, I was here first, so you're gonna have to wait Black Star."

He grunted in reply but obeyed, he really had matured over the years.

They both walked to Lord Death's room in silence and finally reached the Shinigami after a few minutes. He greeted them with the usual obnoxious 'Hello's' and he danced around a bit with his huge hands, but he soon got serious and quieted down for the meister's report. Maka stood in front of him boldly, "Lord Death, the mission went according to plan, Nova will be a Death Scythe, just like I promised you, by the end of the week. And me and him will be heading out to Death City's forest first thing tomorrow morning for our next assignment."

The Shinigami clapped his hands in approval and congratulated her, "I will definitely be looking forward to using a blade, it has been quite awhile since I have used one, I hope this Death God still has it in him!"

A smile touched Maka's lips at his goofy personality, "I'm sure you still do." She spoke lightly.

"Eh-hem. You had a mission for the great Black Star, did you not?" Maka glared daggers at the rudeness of her friends tone but kept all insults inside for later.

"Oh yes! I would never forget about you!" the God laughed and turned to face the female with a concerned look, "Now Maka-Chan, you don't have to stay for this, you need a break, go on home and rest up a bit. I'm sure you deserve it."

Maka nodded, now that he mentioned it, she did feel a little drained from all the excitement from earlier that day, she had been fighting pre-kishins from morning till nightfall and all of it was beginning to hit her like an atomic bomb, "I will be taking my leave now Lord Death, tomorrow, I will be back."

"Alright dear, sleep well!"

They both watched her exit the room with a sprint and waited for the sound of the door, "That poor girl… First her mother, and then her partner… Maka-Chan really needs to take it easy…" the Shinigami shook his head, but haulted the pitiful conversation to discuss more serious matters with Black Star, "Now, this mission requires great skill and much stamina, and me and Spirit have agreed that this describes you better than anyone else."

Lord Death paused and continued when he knew he had the meister's full attention, "Black Star, I think we found Soul Eater Evans."

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*

Maka lay in bed, admiring her blank ceiling. She couldn't sleep, not while knowing that monsters were out there, and they were most likely taking away people's loved ones while she just lay there, comfy in her bed with nothing to be worried about. It really pissed her off when these things crossed her mind, because these thoughts deprived her of her sleep, and sleep gave her strength, which she needed to fight these demons, and save the innocents from further harm. She shook her head and rolled over, clenching the bed sheets to her chest. _Why did everything have to change?_ Her thoughts were interrupted by a presence entering her room_. _The soul wavelength was strong, too strong to make out who it was.

"Who's there?" she spoke fiercely, trying to sound a bit intimidating. It didn't work as well as she wanted, feeling that the enemy only hesitated a moment before leaping on her bed. Maka's instincts kicked in almost immediately as she sat up, grabbing the small object around the furry neck.

_Wait… _furry_ neck?_

"Blair! Why the hell would you sneak up on me like that!" the meister released the cat from her grasp and turned on the lamp at her bedside table.

"Meow~ Maka-Chan is soooo tense! She almost killed Blair!" the witch flipped her ears back and glared at Maka before approaching her cautiously, still afraid that the technician would choke her to death, "Maybe you should come and have fun with Blair! Loosen up a little!"

Maka paused for a moment, thinking of the kinda 'fun' Blair was talking about, "Heh… Sorry Blair, but I am not a big fan of stripping for people I don't know…"

"Maka-Chan! Blair knows thaaaat! I meant shopping! Now I know just the right clothes to put on you! And-"

"Blair, not tonight. I have an important mission with Nova tomorrow. I need to rest up. Now I don't mind if you stay the night, but don't freak out when I'm not here in the morning."

Maka felt goosebumps begin to rise on her skin when she saw Blair grin madly. The female cat even giggled a bit to make Maka feel all the more uncomfortable, "B-Blair… What the hell is wrong with you?" Maka Albarn was afraid of nothing, but she did feel a little uneasy about Blair's answer.

"Blair thinks you like this boy…"

The meister froze.

"Nova? No… We are only partners, not even friends! Besides, affection toward your partner is preposterous… I'm saying this from experience…" This time, it was the cat's turn to freeze up. They both remained silent, not wanting to say anything else to make things more tense. Blair hung her head low and Maka pulled at her comforter, regretting that she even brought it up. Blair was the first to break the silence after 2 minutes of agonizing thoughts.

"…Blair is very sorry…Maka-Chan…" after her quiet apology, the purple cat curled at the end of the bed, and did not utter another word.

"No Blair, I am sorry…" the girl's words were only a whisper in the dark room, it seemed as if she was screaming for relief and comfort rather than just apologizing. Maka shook her head, "Goodnight…" and she lay back down, bringing all of her sorrows back down with her.

The pain would never stop.

**A/N: Short, I know. But I wanted this to be kinda a prologue, don't worry, I'm planning on getting rid of Nova after the second chapter, so you don't have to worry about me pairing those two up, but I did kinda trick you didn't I? Mwahaha! I are so evil :P Reviews are most appreciated, and if you have anything you might wanna help me out with or if I made any mistakes, just message me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Not a lot of reviews for this one… That's ok though! I got some favorites so I really appreciate it! And if you haven't checked out my other SoMa fanfic, please do! It is called, 'Cumbersome Love'. Ok, I would like to thank the people who reviewed. I am glad you guys have the guts to give me your opinion! **

**XxZombieDogxX: I really appreciate that you took the time to review! Thank you sooooooo much xD I hope I continue to impress you ;)**

**QuilavaKing: Oh I love it when people say they want more! Thank you for reviewing :3**

Chapter 2…

"_Soul we almost have him!" the meister avoided the attacker with a twirl and swung her weapon at his blind spot. The man only smirked at her petty attempt and grabbed the weapon when its blade was deep in his skin._

"_Pitiful girl... It will take more than that to kill me…" he pulled the weapon out of his side, spilling blood and pulling flesh from his body. The stranger kept his grip on Soul, squeezing tightly only to be rewarded with his cries of pain. Maka kept holding onto her weapon though, she wouldn't let this bastard have him._

"_Let go of him!" she screamed helplessly, but the man only laughed and used his free hand to shove the meister away from him, she hit the ground loudly and felt her back begin to burn from sliding down the damp road. Meanwhile the enemy reached in his pocket, pulling out a sharp, glistening blade. Maka's eyes widened with fear, he wasn't really going to? The man swung his arm down on her weapon, having Soul turn back to his human form, clutching his shoulder screaming in agony. _

"_Maka! Get away from here! This man isn't human! We don't have a chance of beating him!" _

_Maka shook her head and tried her hardest to lift her weight from the earth below her, "No way in hell am I going anywhere Soul!" Their enemy only stared at the scene before his eyes. This girl cared for this boy so much. It was quite sad actually. Seeing her love for Soul turn into worry for the weapons meaningless life._

"_Hm… You have given away to much information Miss Maka. And that will cost you dearly." He reached out for the injured boy and grabbed his arms, pulling them back until he heard a satisfying 'crack', Soul screamed from the new pain in his broken arms. The man released the boy and let his body crash on the moist road below them. Maka only watched in horror the scene before her._

_This couldn't be happening._

"_Soul…" the meister whispered softly, in fear that raising her voice would only shatter the world. She could feel warm liquid beginning to form a pool from her damaged backside. But she didn't care. Maka could only think about her partner at that moment._

_She could do nothing but watch._

_The sadistic man continued to torture her partner, stomping his foot on the boy's back and putting heavy pressure on his spine. The brutal sounds could be heard all around them and his screams were starting to give out. There was no way he would live from that pain._

"_STOP! YOU'RE KILLING HIM!" Maka's screams came pouring out, she no longer cared if the earth broke apart._

"_Hahaha! Your screams only satisfy me more child. But… Today I am feeling awfully generous. I will not kill you, not today at least, but I will kill your weak little weapon. Not for your eyes to endure though, I will let you savor what you saw of him, and I want you to think of all the different ways I could have killed him!" And with that, the man picked up her injured partner and backed up into the darkness. _

_He was gone._

_Taking her partner with him to give the weapon a brutal death._

"_No… Soul… No… please… soul…" Maka continued to whisper his name, seeing black begin to curtain her sight._

_And then all became black._

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Maka woke with a start, beads of sweat rolling down the sides of her face. _It was only a nightmare_. She thought. The meister chuckled lowly, trying to laugh off that horrifying dream. But she couldn't keep telling herself that it was a dream. It was real. A fragment of her memory had returned to haunt her.

And it was the worst memory of her life.

The meister snaked her arm to her backside and she began to rub the scar from that horrifying night. It was still there, she could still feel it burn just like it did when she received it. Maka refused to take pain killers though, she was never comfortable with taking pills to eliminate pain. It only made the ache come back more fierce than it started. She continued to massage the wound, hoping to give herself some sort of relief. Her attempts for comfort never worked though, it seemed as if it only made her feel even more loss. Maka hung her head, not caring for the new pain that was beginning to form in her neck.

She blinked away a single tear from her tired emerald eyes.

_Damn it._ The meister cursed inwardly as she lifted her arm to wipe away the sorrowful tear that slipped from the confinements of her eyes. Maka could not cry, because crying led to sobbing, and sobbing led to screaming, and she did not know what came after that. She would not try to figure it out either, she had missions to accomplish. And that had reminded her.

_What time is it…?_

Her emerald eyes glanced at the glowing green clock at her bedside table. 6:05. Perfect. Maka rose from her spot in bed, stretching herself and whimpering from the small pain from her injured back. She figured it was a perfect time to take a shower, considering the little sadistic cat loved taking all the hot water at 7:00 in the morning. She made her way to the little bathroom, it was very small, having a toilet, shower, and sink crammed into one room, but it was perfect for two people.

Thinking about her small bathroom, she thought about her whole apartment. Two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a living room with the kitchen being off in the corner. It really was perfect for two people. But she was only one person. Sure, Blair would sometimes stay the night, but overall Maka lived in the apartment all alone. It never bothered her though, she liked the peace and quiet she received from the small home. The meister would sometimes invite friends over when she was feeling really lonely. They were always glad to come over and comfort her.

Maka finally stripped herself and stepped in the shower, cranking it as hot as she could. She really wished she could have it hotter, but she couldn't afford it. The meister released a sigh, today she wasn't in the mood for fighting, she much rather curl up in her room with hot chocolate, a good book in hand to top it off. Maka hadn't had the chance to relax like that. After the little incident a few years ago, she felt like she didn't deserve relaxation. Maka shook her head, she needed to stop thinking about it.

After shampoo and conditioning her sandy blonde hair, she stepped out of the warm shower, steam escaping from her exit. Maka stepped toward the mirror and wiped away the fog, examining her appearance.

Oh, how she had changed.

Her hair hung down in waves past her collarbone and her baby face had disappeared replaced with a more mature look. She finally got some curves and her breasts were well developed. Despite the scars, her skin looked and felt smooth. Maka decided that she needed to get rid of her pigtails to match her new look. It was hard, but she knew it was time to grow up a little.

Giggling with pride, she skipped out of her bathroom, only a towel wrapped around her. Now that she lived alone, it was perfectly fine for her to exit her bathroom with just a towel on. She would have gone nude, but there were windows in her apartment and she didn't want to take any chances. Maka picked up her clothes from the chair she had set them on before her shower, she scanned her outfit.

That had also changed.

Her old short plaid skirt was switched with a longer one, the last one always getting sexual comments from her male weapons. She changed her top with a black corset, wanting to look a little more dark than her old self, even though that also received crude things from her male partners. Maka also went with net leggings, liking the way they looked on her when Liz got them for her birthday. She adorned them with knee high combat boots and to top the whole look off, she wore a headband, letting her hair hang down without any ponytails.

Slipping the outfit on, she looked at herself in the mirror, smiling at herself. Then she took out a piece of paper and a pencil, she was going to write a note for Blair just in case she forgot that Maka had left that day. After she finished, she thought over everything, seeing if she had forgotten something. When she knew she had not, she left the apartment quietly, not wanting to disturb Blair during her slumber.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Black Star dashed through the humid forest quickly and quietly. He didn't know about everything he was dealing with, that being the Shinigami's fault. Ignoring the annoyance that began bubbling up inside him, he continued his search through the thick forest, thinking back over what the Death God had told him.

"_Black Star, I think we found Soul Eater Evans."_

_Black Star drew back, speechless for the first time in his life._

"_I know this is a surprise, but you need to keep your focus. We knew that Soul wasn't dead from the start, we all sensed his soul wavelength…"_

"_Then why the hell didn't you tell us? We all thought that Soul has been dead this whole time! You know how heartbroken Maka was" Black Star felt the anger begin taking control, he wanted so bad to kill the Shinigami for making them believe his best friend was dead all this time._

"_Black Star, please calm down and hear me out. We didn't tell you because we knew you would do something rash. We were all trying to think of where he was. We could feel him true, but his whereabouts were a mystery to us all…"_

_Black Star himself down, "Well, if you could feel his soul wavelength, why couldn't anyone else?"_

"_That is something we don't even know… The answer may be given to us when we find the enemy though."_

_Black Star sighed, he couldn't actually believe Soul was alive, they had all thought he was dead for so long, "So, what exactly am I dealing with? And another thing, Maka said that this creep told her that he was going to kill Soul and leave her to suffer from the loss. Why is Soul still alive then?"_

_The Shinigami shook his head, "I'm not really sure why he didn't kill Soul… But I am guessing that he is trying to lure people in so he can take us out one by one… This may not be true though. And as for what you are dealing with, I am not to sure about that either, all I know is his name is Gomon, and he isn't human, nor is he a kishin. We aren't entirely sure what he is… There may also be other enemies working with him, so I want you to stay on your toes. And I don't want you to try to kill anyone. You hear me? The people you are dealing with were strong enough to kill several of our highest ranking meisters and weapons. We need you to stay low until we can think of a way to defeat them."_

_Black Star grunted, "So how do you want me to get Soul if I can't try to fight anyone?"_

"_Black Star, over the years you have become great with sneaking attacks. I want you to sneak in and steal back Soul."_

"_But Maka can always sense me. What makes you think they won't?"_

_The Shinigami sighed in impatience, "Black Star, Maka may be able to sense you. But you can silence your soul better than anyone else. The only reason Maka can feel your presence is because she is used to recognizing that kind of thing. Do you understand now?"_

_Black Star turned his back to him, "Sure, I understand. But what happens if I fail?"_

_Shinigami was silent before his answer, "You won't fail."_

Black Star stopped for a moment to catch his breath, the last words from the Death God were quite encouraging, even though he knew he could already accomplish this mission.

"Black Star, are you alright? Do we need to rest for a bit?"

The blue haired ninja looked at his partner through the blade, Tsubaki looked concerned and a little afraid. When he told her about the mission and how they had found Soul, she went into a fit of tears, "Nah, I'm alright Tsubaki. I just had to catch my breath. And besides, someone as big as me doesn't need this so called, 'rest'." He let out a fit of laughter, Black Star was only trying to make her feel less worried though. This mission was even making him a little nervous.

"Hehe. Alright Black Star. Remember, we need to be silent."

"Yea Yea. I gotcha. Now let's go!"

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Maka gazed upon the souls that were left over by the kishins. She thought it was lovely, looking at the death of her enemies and how that was one less person that would suffer from a horrifying fate.

"M-Maka-Chan? Is this it? Will I become a Death scythe now?"

Maka turned to face the weapon at her side, and she responded with a nod, smiling at the way his eyes gleamed from her response. He took no time to devour all the souls spread around them. And Maka watched in amazement at the sight of him becoming a Death Scythe. The whole are around them lit up in a blinding light and his figure was the only thing that could be seen. His arms began to release blades and then the same thing happened to his legs. Nova screamed from the pain that was beginning to occur and Maka had a sudden urge to save him. All those screams sounded way to familiar to her, she was getting ready to save him until all the screams stopped and the word around them returned to its original scene.

"Maka-Chan! I'm a Death Scythe! A _Death Scythe! _You really are the greatest!" Nova was literally jumping up and down in glee until he stopped, skipping over to her and taking her in a hug, "Thank you so much Maka… You have no idea how much this means to me…" Maka froze from the sudden embrace. She felt really uneasy. What could she do? She was frozen in his arms, unable to react from the contact. It was so _loving_ and it made her sick to her stomach. Maka needed to get rid of this feeling, so she did the only thing that she knew how to do.

She pushed him away.

"I… I am going home now… I want you to report this to Lord Death… Congratulations." The meister stared at the boy for a few more seconds, taking in his surprised look, then when she knew she could take it no longer, she left. Left him standing in the place where he became everything he could have ever wanted.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Maka walked the streets of Death City slowly, running into people occasionally and getting rewarded with curses. She didn't know where to go. For once she didn't want to step into the lonely darkness of her home. Maka wanted to be anything but alone. She didn't know why she took that little bit of affection to a whole new level. It just reminded her so much of _him._ Maka reminded herself of Chrona, not knowing how to handle the situation she was just in. At that moment, she needed someone to talk to. Someone that would listen to what she had to say. And then she knew just who would be perfect for that.

Tsubaki.

**A/N: Ah, my updates are finally beginning to speed up! I am working on 'Cumbersome Love 5' right now! So it will be up soon! I am really happy that everyone favorited and reviewed this one. Honestly, I would like more reviews, but im ok with favorites. I'll give you a hint of what happens next, Soul will be in it! Yay for Soul!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Another chappie! Ok! This one isn't getting very many reviews at all… I'm a little disappointed, but the story alerts are kinda keeping me going. If I don't get a lot of reviews it must mean that no one is really enjoying this Dx But, this is for the people who appreciate this fanfic. Thanks for reviewing guys, it means a lot. Alriiiiight~ On with Chaptuh 3! Short one guys! Gomenasai~**

Chapter 3…

Maka ran the streets of Death City, her boots hitting the damp road loudly and her heart pumping from the exercise. She still felt discomfort from the earlier scene, from the way his weak arms wrapped around her very soul, the way his voice came rushing in her ears soothingly, like a mother trying to put their child to sleep. But she was in luck, she knew that only one person would be able to explain those confusing emotions, and that would be Tsubaki, the only being that could tame the sadness that almost burst from her chest at that incident.

On the night of the accident, everyone visited the hospital and gave Maka gifts and apologies, even though they were also hurting from the death of Soul, they were there. Black Star seemed like he was second to feel the most pain after Maka, him being so close to Soul in the friendship department. But the ninja was still kind enough to ignore his sadness, and try to comfort Maka through the whole thing. Everyone was really trying to be there for her, but the meister thought that Tsubaki was the one who kept Maka from killing herself. The female weapon would spend every night with her, holding her in her arms and rocking her back and forth, humming a gentle song that her mother taught her. Maka felt like a baby, and gave her friend countless apologies for not acting like her age, but the weapon hushed her and just smiled.

Maka paused a moment under a street light, letting her eyes adjust to the newfound brightness. She inhaled the thick air a few times, ignoring the heavy pressure it put on her chest, then she continued forward. Tsubaki's apartment was just around the corner, there was really no point in stopping for a break. The meister turned the corner of her friend's street, scanning the familiar area and slowly coming to a stop when she spotted Tsubaki's home. She walked to the door, not having to worry about steps since Black Star was lucky enough to get the room downstairs without getting the police called on him for threatening the poor man. Maka let a small smile touch her lips from the humorous memory, he had really scared that old man, enough for the elder to literally piss himself. Shaking her head to return to focus, the meister reached out and lightly knocked on the door. She knew they were home, she had just talked to her female friend yesterday being told that Shinigami hadn't given them any missions for weeks.

Maka stood at the front of the apartment, waiting a few more minutes before trying to knock again, she didn't want to annoy them, but it was kind of an emergency. Not receiving an answer for the second time, the meister began to panic. Black Star and Tsubaki would always answer their door, Black Star not wanting to miss a chance to annoy the hell out of the person who wanted to visit. She began to chew her bottom lip, sweat begging to roll down her face. Something felt_ off_. Maka knew it. She stood for a few more moments, wondering if she should open the door, just to check and see if they were alright. But she also thought she was overreacting and they were both out on a date or something. Maka stared at the door handle a few more seconds, and thought against the date, Tsubaki probably wanted to stay home and relax, they liked being home for a date rather than being in a crowded restaurant. So she pushed the door open.

There was no one.

Absolutely no one.

The apartment was empty. Maka could not sense the spastic soul of Black Star nor the gentle soul of Tsubaki. Where the hell had they gone? She felt nothing but panic, the thought of Nova disappearing entirely.

She would have to warn Shinigami.

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Black Star creeped behind a bush quietly, having an enemy in his sights. The man was tall and scrawny, looking like you could snap him in half. Obviously the guy hadn't eaten or had any type of exercise. Black Star didn't know why the Shinigami told him that he couldn't attack, someone as big as him could take on an army of those small weaklings. But the meister did not strike, he would have to obey the Death God, any other time he would have ignored the Shinigami's orders and killed the enemy right on the spot, but that time was a little different. This time it involved saving Soul.

He kept his eyes on the skinny man and made his way around the enemy, hoping that he wouldn't be spotted. Black Star was still working on silencing his soul, he would probably never be able to fool Maka, as much as he _hated _to admit it, but he was almost positive he could trick these fools. Stepping to his left, he felt himself run into something tall and rough, turning to attack, he nearly bursted out laughing at the realization that it was just a stupid tree. But his laughter was held back when his eyes caught something a little more interesting.

Black Star had just spotted something that looked almost like a hidden vault on the ground. But the meister was positive that it was a little more than just a hole in the earth, he guessed that that was where they kept prisoners. Trying not to get too excited about being close to seeing Soul, he approached the entrance and turned the lever on the door. It was a bit heavy to open, the guards probably had to team up to open it, but a God like him needed no such thing as 'help'. The meister opened it with ease and slipped inside, checking his surroundings before proceeding into the dark hole.

It was a long trip, filled with doubts that Soul was even down there, but Black Star would not give up. There was a chance that his friend was alive, and he couldn't let something like that slip past him. Ignoring the feeling of not being able to breath well, he pressed onward, determined to exit that shit hole with Soul in one arm. He came to a stop when he heard voices, quickly ducking behind an object, canceling his breath, and listening to the guards talk.

"Have you fed the prisoners?" one was definitely a female, having a light touch to the end of her high pitched tone and a flirtacious soul wavelength.

"Not quite yet, I just love watching them squirm and beg for food." The woman's footsteps could be heard approaching the man loudly and her response was fierce and demanding.

"Yes, but if you let them die, Gomon will have our heads. Especially if we let the shark boy die," Black Star's eyes widened at the sound of Soul's description, he was very tempted to jump out and force them to tell him where they were hiding his friend, but he knew it would be best to sneak out with Soul, "I want them fed now, starting with the shark boy, and if they aren't, I will kill you with no hesitation."

"Yes ma'am."

Black Star waited till the sound of her exiting footsteps and began following the one who was told to feed the prisoners. He almost couldn't believe that no one sensed him, but quickly pushed that pride away.

He needed to focus.

Still stalking the man cautiously, he heard the cries from the humans they kept confined, he needed to save them as well as Soul, but there was no time for that. Black Star hardly thought _he_ could get out in one piece. Hushing his thoughts when he saw the man stop, he watched as the enemy reached in his pocket and pulled out stale bread, tossing it in the cage. But no one came. It was as if he was feeding nothing in the cage.

"You better eat that sharky, or the boss is gonna have yur ass. Ya hear? Now enjoy yur meal kid." Black Star growled at the human before him but silenced his breath once more when the man approached him, making his way around the corner to continue feeding the prisoners. Black Star could hardly contain his excitement, his friend was in that cage, _alive_. The meister took no time to jump to theprison, still not being able to see the shadowed figure curled in the corner. He wanted so bad to call his friends name, but he needed to stay on task.

Celebrating could come later.

Black Star used Tsubaki's shuriken mode to snap the cage's rusty lock. Everything in that place was so easy to break, they really needed to up the security a bit. Ignoring his luck, he quickly dashed to the back of the cage and picked up the frail body of his friend, it was way to dark to make out his features, so the meister did not stop to observe them, instead he dashed out of the cage, going a little faster than how he had entered. Black Star could feel Tsubaki's wave of happiness and relief. He also felt the same, but continued to move forward, he really needed to get Soul out of there. It felt like his friend had not eaten in days, his ribs jabbing into the meister's shoulders and his consciousness surely lost. He knew that Soul needed medical help immediately.

When the meister reached the end of the hole, he could feel many enemies coming from behind. "Damn it…" he hissed, but continued to make his escape. When he exited the hole, he could only ignore the agitation the sun gave his eyes after being in the dark for so long, and he dashed to the tree that he had ran into earlier, landing on the branches expertly and making his way to the next branch on another tree. When he was finally able to feel no more enemies, he breathed in happily loving the scent of fresh air. He had done it. Soul was alive and he was taking him back home.

"Don't worry Soul… You're safe now…"

*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Maka opened the door to the Shinigami's room widely, breathing deeply and stuttering words that could not be understood.

"Oh my… Maka-Chan? Are you alright?" the Death God approached her cautiously and gave her a cup of water, Maka wondered where he pulled it from, but forgot about it when she finally caught her breath and was able to speak.

"Lord Death! It's Black Star and Tsubaki! I can't sense them anywhere! I checked at their apartment and they aren't there! I can't lose them! I just can't…" Maka felt her voice fade away, it was then she realized how desperate she was to find her friends. She couldn't re-live another dreadful experience. The Shinigami waited a moment and let the meister finish her talking. He couldn't tell Maka where Black Star and Tsubaki were, she would freak out and probably go after them. As a Shinigami he needed to keep her from jumping right into danger. So there was really only one way to keep her from leaving.

He had to lie.

"Maka-Chan, I sent them off on a mission. That's why I called Black Star here remember? Please try to stay calm, they are alright I'm sure." Maka felt a wave of relief come over her, but then she began to feel a little angry.

"So why couldn't I have gone? I could have helped!"

"But Maka dear, you already had a mission. How did it go by the way?" The Shinigami was trying desperately from letting the truth slip. He could feel Maka's doubts though. The meister just sighed and whispered an apology, she quickly left after that and the Death God hung his head.

"I really hope that they are alright…"

**A/N: fufufu~ I said that Soul would be in this chapter… But he didn't say anything! Mwahahaha! Next chapter I'm planning on getting him and Maka to meet. But I have a little twist to it, so be prepared. And I'm really sorry for the short chappie guys! I went through this one quick. Ok, so next I'm gonna update 'Cumbersome Love' so if you haven't read that one, please check it out! See any mistakes then help me out a little and warn me! I won't get mad! Pinky Promise!**

**If you don't review Soul will die before Black Star can get him to a hospital! Dx**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Short chapter... Sowwy! I have been writing a lot lately. Plus me and my brother have been spending time together, and you guys know how that is. I am not really sure when I will update again... maybe some time next week? It depends on what I am doing, and it depends on how many reviews I get...**

Maka lay in her bed, drowned in self pity and having a strange craving to just scream her heart out. But the meister could no longer cry, she drained herself of tears on the night of Soul's death. Turning on her side, she immediately thought that maybe it would be okay to let a few tears spill from her empty eyes. It would be for Tsubaki and Black*Star, right? _Hell no_… There was no way she would look for reasons to cry. That would just make her weak, and she needed to be strong to keep harm away from her friends. She couldn't let anyone else die because she was a weak person.

Maka closed her eyes, sleep finally beginning to take over. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be tired, her not being able to rest from her 'protective side'. But the meister could no longer think anymore, she had finally gotten the sleep that she deserved.

_Maka woke up to the sound of someone knocking at her door. She grumbled curses and slid out of bed, swearing even more when her tight nightshirt rolled up her sides to reveal her striped pink panties that Blair had gotten for her at Christmas. She really didn't wear it a lot considering she didn't have a reason to wear it, but all the rest of her underwear was washing._

_The meister gripped the side of her shirt and pulled it down as far as possible, a little bit of her panties could still be seen and the lace on the edge of the sexual fabric hung past her thigh's teasingly, begging to be revealed a little further. She knew she looked like a whore with a man in the back of her apartment recovering from a God awful hangover at that moment, but she was way to pissed off at the person who had so rudely woken her up from her slumber that she honestly didn't care._

_Maka shuffled to the front of the apartment and looked out the little hole in the door. Strange… no one was there. Maybe she got a package? Highly unlikely. The only mail she got was post cards from her mother and that only came once every few weeks. Today wasn't even delivery day too!_

_Ignoring the strange knock on her door, she turned on her heel and just told herself that it was a stupid alarm clock in her head that told her it was time to get up. Curse her stupid conscious. Today was her day off and all she wanted was to spend the rest of the day in her bed… Oh well…_

_Not even two seconds after she checked her front door, the strange knock occurred once again. This time, Maka knew it wasn't her little alarm clock in her head. There was definitely someone there. She decided she would answer the stranger, hoping to just scare the annoyance away, "Hey! Is anyone there? Isn't it a little early to start bothering your neighbors?"_

_The meister received no response, and she was beginning to get pissed at this rude person. First they think they can just wake her up and now they are going to ignore her? No way in hell was she going to take disrespect. Maka stomped toward the door in a fit of frustration, cupping the doorknob tightly and preparing to turn it open._

_But all actions froze._

_She couldn't open the door._

_Something inside of her told her that opening that door would reveal the devil himself. She could only feel terror at that moment. Someone or something was behind that door, and even Maka Albarn was to afraid to see what was behind that door. And then, all of a sudden, her back began to burn. It was like fire was licking her backside, cackling at the way her body shook from the unbearable heat. Maka hit the floor loudly, trying so hard to breathe in and breathe out, hoping that it would calm her from the stinging pain._

_She let out a blood curdling scream, the pitch escalating as the pain worsened. She pleaded for help from the only person in the world that could not help her. It was the only thing she could do to extinguish just a little of the burning feeling on her back. Just picturing the only bit of him she could remember was the only relief she could muster up at that moment of horror._

_And in the middle of all her pain, se heard the door open._

_It was as if time froze when she saw the man who stood before her, and all the burning pain was replaced with rage and hate. Maka was so blinded from revenge that she had almost not even recognized the man who ruined her life years ago. It was the man who had brutally tortured her partner. It was the man who gave her that scar on her back. It was the man who took the only person she trusted away from her._

_Maka rose from the floor, teeth grinding in anger and hands clenched at her __sides. She no longer tried to calm herself, it would be impossible to even attempt to relinquish the rage she was feeling at that moment. Maka took the silent moment to observe his disturbing appearance. He really hadn't changed. His smiled ceased to fade off his pale lips and his eyes burned with satisfaction when he lay eyes on her. She shivered under his stare and quickly swung her fist to his ugly face only to fall to the ground once more._

"_Hahaha... Silly little girl... You know you are not strong enough to kill me. You weren't strong enough that day, so what makes you think you will be able to kill me now?"_

_Maka glared at him and responded with burning hatred, "You bastard... Why did you take him away? What the hell did he do to you? Why couldn't you have taken me instead!" _

_He continued to snicker while approaching her slowly, "Heh, you see Maka-Chan... I took your useless weapon just to annoy you, your anger is like a drug... It feels so good when you look at me with those hate filled eyes..." he reached down and took her sandy blonde hair in his fist, bringing his lips to her ear and whispering dangerously,"I came back to take you... You are mine now bitch..." _

_His voice sounded like nails scratching a chalkboard and all she could feel at that moment was panic. She felt useless, and all she could do was just sit there and let him do whatever he wanted. Why couldn't she move? What was happening? She wanted Soul... Soul... Soul... _

"SOUL!"

Maka shot up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily with hot tears rolling down her cheeks, "Soul..." she brought her knee's to her chest and continued to whisper his name, hoping for him to just be there in her room, laughing at the way she just sit there. She looked up, thinking that he might just be with her and she almost screamed when she noticed a person was standing in her room.

"S-Soul...?"

"Maka-Chan..."

She breathed out in disappointment when she heard Blair's worried voice, "Maka-Chan? Blair just got here and heard you scream... Are you okay? Does Blair need to take you to Stein?"

Maka looked up at her friend and felt a stray tear slip from her emerald eyes, "I-I'm okay..." she felt her voice quiver, and she knew that Blair wasn't wasn't convinced by her response by the way she approached her.

"Maka-Chan... Shinigami called you to his office yesterday... But Blair told him you were resting... You have been asleep for two days... Are you sure you are okay?"

Maka gasped at the realization of sleeping for two days, but even worse, she missed a meeting with Shinigami-Sama. What a great meister she was... "Blair! I'm really sorry... But I really am fine! Just a little bad dream! We all get em'. It really isn't a big deal! Listen... I'm gonna head off to Shinigami-Sama alright? There is some leftovers in the fridge so feel free to eat as much as you want. Buh-Bye Blair!" Maka left with bubbly laughter and a fake smile, maybe Blair would believe her and forget about the little incident before. But she knew that a little bit of her true feelings leaked when she woke up that morning. There was no way Blair was that stupid to believe such a cheap little lie.

Maka turned on her heel and exited the apartment before Blair could say anything. She really didn't have time to continue a made up story, she needed to get out and get some fresh air. Good thing Shinigami called her, at least she was telling Blair half of the truth...

The meister jogged until she got to the little restaurant just around the corner. That place held so many loving memories that it made her sick. She would never eat there again, nor would she stop to think about it, so she continued to run to her true destination, not even breaking a sweat from the exercise she was getting. Maka continued to run until she saw the school building. Again with the awful memories. She quickly shook them off before they took over, she needed to stay calm, but frankly, that wasn't really working out. Maybe Blair was right, perhaps she _should_ see Stein-Senpai before she got really sick. All these sick feeling in her stomach were beginning to get old and all she wanted was for the pain to go away. Plus her back was making her life a living hell. She glared at her feet, Maka hated it when she caught herself complaining. It was another thing that really pissed her off. And with that little thought in mind, there was no way she was going to see anyone for help. She was almost positive that all this pain would be easily forgotten, so there was really no reason for her to go see help.

"Heehee... See? I didn't lie to Blair at all! I really am alright!" she grinned, even though she knew it was fake. Finally returning to the task at hand, she approached the building head on with confidence that she thought she had. Maka opened the large doors and ran to Shinigami's office. For some really odd reason, she felt happiness. And for once it was real. She literally stopped in her tracks she was so surprised by the sudden feeling. Something was going to happen, but she didn't know what. It was exactly like her dream, except it wasn't a horrifying feeling. Maybe she should just leave. Shinigami would understand right? No. she needed to obey the Death God. It was a Shibusen student's duty to always report to Shinigami when called, so she just ingored the giddy feeling and made her way to Shinigami's room.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

What the _hell _was going on? What kind of sick joke were they trying to pull on her? There they were, Black*Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Patty, Liz, and... and... _him_. Why were they doing this to her? Why?

"Maka..."

She felt her heart skip at the sound of his voice, deep, beautiful, calm, cool, and... loving... But it wasn't him. There was no way that was Soul Eater Evans. Soul died years ago by an evil, sadist who she had nightmares about almost every time she could sleep. So why the hell were her friends showing her a fake image of the person she wanted so bad? She could feel nothing at that moment, what was there to feel? Her best friends were trying to make her feel even worse, even Tsubaki was in on the joke.

Maka observed him no more, instead of yelling, screaming, and cursing, she simply turned around and left. She was going home to go back to sleep. She didn't deserve this, and even she knew that...

**A/N: Sorry for the shortness... And the way I ended it. I hope I didn't bore you with Maka's POV through this whole chapter. But I wanted to tell you her true feelings, and the way she is trying to handle the situation. Well, not much to say, so thank you for the reviews and favorites! I really appreciate it!**

**If you don't review, Maka will never be able to believe Soul is real! :O**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Oh I am so happy this is finally getting more reviews! I love my darling readers! And thank yew soooooooooooooooooo much for all the support, you guys really make me happeh! xD**

~Chapter 5~

It was raining again. Sweet drops of anger were making Death City it's victim, with its gloomy beauty filling the air with pure sadness. All of this was a little over observant, but Maka found herself like this when she was deep in her thoughts, and at that moment, she was so deep she could hardly even breath. The whole world was becoming nothing but confusion to her, and the rain only enhanced the morbid feeling.

Why?

Why does her life continue to burn in the flames of sorrow?

She felt as if she was only one person fighting an army of unbeatable confusion. She is scared to sleep, with it bringing only more unthinkable horror in her head. Her only friends go missing and come back with a fake image of the person she wanted so badly. What was the point then? Living was just a waste of time if everything you worked for would just die along with you.

She would be forgotten.

But Soul was never forgotten was he?

A single drop of the crying sky splashed on her nose, causing it to crinkle up in response. She glanced above, blinking away the drops of rain that had landed in her eyes, _What is the point?_

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

She was standing there, her face frozen in surprise. It was if a light touch would cause her frail body to shatter into pieces. Why was she just standing there? For starters, was that even Maka Albarn? That wasn't her was it? There was no way that was the girl who he had risked so much for, her old appearance so small and shy, with this being a... _woman_.

He continued to stare her down, searching for the girl he had wanted for all these years. It had become a staring contest, her still not even flinching. Why wasn't she moving? Was she okay? Should he say something? Maybe that would help... Taking in a breath, he let his voice flow out soft and quiet, not wanting her to have a heart attack by his words.

"Maka..."

It scared him when he spoke, the silence being very comforting. All of this was to complicated, he yearned to just take her in a warm embrace, telling her that it was okay, he was here now. But that thought frightened him as well. It would have been a better idea to just keep the silence while they had it. He saw here tense up, was she going to cry? No... he didn't want that. But instead of letting the tears spill from the confinements of her eyes, she simply just turned her back on him, a huge pressure hitting him in the chest at the sudden action. She paused a moment, heavy breaths from each person echoing in the small room. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, not knowing what Maka was planning on doing next. The silence returned, but it wasn't comforting, it was terrifying. He wanted it to stop, why wasn't anyone saying anything? And then, she simply turned, and walked away.

And she was gone... _again_.

Soul tried to call her back, but nothing escaped his lips. Why was this happening? Where was the happy reunion that had played in his head so beautifully? The sound of her pounding feet began to disappear, each step causing his heart to sink further. Should he stop her? What would she do? If she could turn around and walk away so calmly, what would she do if he tried to start a conversation with her? She hated him didn't she? Maka could only feel hate when he left her. It was all his fault... Suddenly, the silence was shattered by Black*Star, but he said nothing that answered any of the questions in his head.

"Dude, she walked away? I'll go get her..."

The blue haired assassin attempted to pursue her, but he was stopped by Shinigami, the Death God telling him something along the lines of, "This problem is something that must not be fixed by you". Then who should fix it? Him? He could hardly even whisper her name without her becoming terrified. A gentle voice separated him from his thoughts, it's smooth pitch relaxing the tension that he was feeling, "Soul-Kun. I know things are frightening right now, and it is no surprise that she reacted that way. But you must know that she is only surprised, it has been years. Just go and see her, maybe words won't be needed...". His blood red eyes looked into her calming blue pools, her smile was sweet and warm. Everything about her felt like a caring mother, Tsubaki was the only person in the world who could never lose her kindness to madness. Soul wanted to respond, to let her know that he was not ignoring her, but she shook her head and hugged him in a motherly way, "I'm so glad you are back Soul... Now go to her, she needs you..." she released him from her gentle embrace and continued to smile that relaxing smile.

He glanced around Shinigami's room, looking at everyone's faces, letting all the memories of his friends return to him. They all smiled at him, all except for Black*Star, who could only laugh and cry.

"Nyahahahaha! Well! Go see her dude! We aren't goin anywhere! You can always see us again!". He continued his hysterical laughter, and then everyone joined him, their happiness filling the room, ridding of all unhappiness that he had endured for years.

"Alright... I'm happy to be back guys..."

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

She stood in the shower speechless, afraid any words would just wash down the drain along with every bit of happiness that she had. It had hardly become noticeable when the water became cold, the icy fluid chilling her scorching backside. It stung, like razor blades were ripping the burned flesh from her body. Why was the pain getting worse? The wound could be easily ignored a week ago, so why was it starting once again? Maybe it could be her nightmare? Maybe that sadist was planning on killing her but he wanted to toy with her mind first.

"Nonsense..." she stated boldly, feeling like an idiot for even thinking such fake thoughts. She ran her fingers through her hair. Not receiving the comfort that she wanted, she released an aggravated sigh and shut off the water, stepping out of the shower without the usual steam that usually escapes at her exit. Instead, she was greeted with a rush of cold air and goosebumps that had so rudely rose from the chill. "I need hot water..." she grumbled, snatching the fluffy white towel from under the cabinet. Maka pressed it to her face, letting the fabric absorb the water from her skin. She wrapped it around her torso carefully, making sure it wouldn't fall to easily. She had a moment where something like that **did** happen, but she was lucky it was only Blair who saw.

Speaking of Blair... did she say anything about going to work that morning? Maka exited the bathroom, making her way to the table to check if the sexual cat had left any note saying if she really did head down to the little whore house down the street. She grinned when she found exactly what she was looking for, ripping the sticky note from the hard surface reading her fancy handwriting with ease. She had finally learned how to make out the cat's handwriting with Blair having to teach her how to. Maka really hated it when people wrote like Blair did...

_Dear Maka~Chan,_

_Blair is working late tonight... Sowwie~! I ate all the leftovers... Sorry about that to! But Blair made something really special! I made it just for yew! Blair thinks it tastes good! _

_Love, Blair~!_

The bottom had a little kiss mark that she had left. She rolled her eyes but smiled at the kindness of the note. She set the note back down on the table and skipped to the fridge to check the 'special meal' Blair had made. Maka opened the door to her little cold storage and stuck her head in it curiously, "Now now... where is it... Ah!" she reached her arm inside and pulled out a small container, "Ermm... Fish... Joy...". She opened the closed lid with a small pout. She was hungry, but was she really **that **hungry? Maka continued to glare at the container, she hated fish... Didn't Blair know that? Why had she made the fish? She jumped a little at the sound of the doorbell. It was a little embarrassing, but she feared front doors a little. How could it you not be scared of doors after having a nightmare about a crazy bastards raping you? Breathing in deeply, she set the fish on the table and approached the door cautiously. She wasn't going to look through the little hole, she was to afraid that no one would be there, so she opened it just enough for her to reveal who was behind.

Why couldn't she had just looked through the hole?

"Maka... It's me..."

**A/N: Okay! REALLY SHORT! I wanted to make this one short because I'm planning on making the next one really long. It will be my little treat. Doesn't Tsubaki remind you of a mother? I love Tsubaki! When I was writing that part, I could only think of one of my friends. I dedicate that part to you Ally! Alright! More reviews! W00T! I'm liking this! Oh! I have a youtube channel that I really want you guys to check out! If you have a youtube account, subscribe! The link is on my profile~ But if you have any issues, just type 'xXSabannaChanXx' in the youtube search bar!**

**Review and I will have the next chapter before this week ends~!**


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